International arms sales have remained stable between 2016 and 2020, the international peace research institute Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report Monday. It is the first time since the period between 2001 and 2005 that arms sales between countries have not increased, the institute concluded.
The United States, France and Germany, the three largest arms exporters, have shipped more arms in the past five years, but the decline in exports from Russia and China offset that increase. Countries in the Middle East accounted for the largest increase in arms imports, up 25 percent from the period between 2011 and 2015, with Saudi Arabia leading the way as the world’s largest arms importer.
“The economic impact of the corona pandemic could prompt some countries to reassess their arms imports in the coming years,” said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher at SIPRI. But according to Wezeman, it is still too early to conclude whether the pandemic will actually affect arms sales. “At the same time, even at the height of the pandemic in 2020, several countries signed major arms contracts.”
For example, the United Arab Emirates recently signed an agreement of 23 billion with the United States for the delivery of fifty F35 Joint Strike Fighters and at least eighteen armed drones. Poland, Japan and Germany also ordered fighter planes in 2020.
–
You can follow these topics
––
